Riverbench Vineyard and Winery Greets the New Year With a New Winemaker

Posted on January 09, 2012

Riverbench Vineyard and Winery is pleased to announce it is ringing in the arrival of 2012 with a new winemaker, Clarissa Nagy. Nagy has worked in the wine industry for the past 17 years.

"I am drawn to the attention to detail and quality at Riverbench — the vineyards are meticulously kept," Nagy says. "Riverbench has the wonderful combination of vine age for the original plantings and clonal variations in the new plantings. I really enjoy seeing how each vineyard in the Santa Maria Valley is unique. I look forward to getting my hands on the fruit!"

Nagy follows in the footsteps of Chuck Ortman, a pioneer in the wine industry who announced his retirement at the end of the 2011 vintage. For the past six vintages, Ortman made Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs for Riverbench.

Having received a degree in Food Science from California Polytechnic State University, Nagy began her career in the wine industry in 1994 as a lab technician at Edna Valley Vineyards in San Luis Obispo. She moved through the roles of research assistant winemaker at Byron Winery in Los Olivos; assistant winemaker and vineyard supervisor at Longoria Winery, also in Los Olivos; and has been making wine for Bonaccorsi Wine Company since 2006.

"We are truly thrilled about this evolution in winemaking for Riverbench," says General Manager Laura Mohseni. "When it came to finding Chuck's replacement, Clarissa was the natural choice. Her professional and approachable demeanor and stellar winemaking style will fit in perfectly here."